The present disclosure relates generally to the field of data processing, and in particular to managing access to and ownership of data at a remote resource.
Many modern computing devices are enabled with so-called “smart” technologies that enable such devices to transmit and/or exchange data with other devices via wired or wireless communication networks, or both. An increasing number of these modern devices are configured to connect to and take advantage of services provided by various interconnected computing devices (e.g., servers), often referred to as the “cloud.” For example, relatively small devices, such as temperature sensors, healthcare monitors, and electronic door locks can be connected to the cloud, e.g., as part of the “Internet of Things” (IoT). In this way, the connected devices can be accessed and controlled using remote devices, such as mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, or other such devices. For instance, a door lock may be remotely opened from a remote platform (e.g., a smartphone), or data from a temperature sensor or healthcare monitor may be aggregated at a remote location (e.g., a server device) and accessed from another device, such as a laptop computer. As such, there is an increasing amount of data being collected by cloud platforms and the corresponding service providers.
At the same time, there is also an increasing concern among many users regarding the privacy and security of data collected by the cloud service providers. For instance, concerns that collected data, often viewed as personal in nature, can be accessed or even misused by the cloud service providers may discourage the use of connected (e.g., IoT) devices by concerned users, thereby impeding the proliferation of IoT devices and networks and the corresponding advantages that they provide. While such concerns can be addressed, in part, through data encryption techniques, standard encryption operations can impose logistical hurdles, such as when synchronizing or changing encryption keys. Moreover, privacy concerns can be aggravated by the possible shared use of the connected device between multiple users and/or the transfer of ownership or usage rights to the device between users.